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Mario Party 6
Mario Party 6 (also called MP6) is the sixth main installment in the successful ''Mario Party'' series made for the Nintendo GameCube and the third installment for that console. As with previous main installments in the series, it was developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo, and was first released in Japan on November 18, 2004, the only installment on the GameCube to be released there first. The game is the first in the series that features an installment of voice controlled mini-games using a packaged microphone, where an all new Mic Mode is designed specifically for microphone use; the microphone would later be reused in the next console installment, Mario Party 7. Additionally, Mario Party 6 supports the Nintendo GameCube's progressive scan mode. The main focus of this game is collecting Stars to stop the conflict going on with the sun and the moon to fill the Star Bank. A new feature introduced to the Mario Party series is a day and night system implemented for boards and mini-games, a concept first introduced in Horror Land in Mario Party 2. As other Mario Party games, up to four players can participate in board gameplay and mini-games, where they can battle free-for-all or team up against each other. Mario Party 6 requires 5 blocks on the Memory Card to save the game, and up to three game files can be saved on the Memory Card. Story Story from Instruction Booklet Brighton and Twila; the sun and the moon; watch over Mario Party World from the sky and host the best parties. The two celestial party animals have always been good friends. That is, until the day Brighton asked Twila, "''Who's more impressive, you or me?" Brighton and Twila argued furiously over who was more popular and impressive. The sky thundered with the fury of their cataclysmic squabble! Mario and his party-hearty friends tried to get them to make up, but nothing they said could settle their spat in the sky. That's when Mario came up with a brilliant plan to harness the power of the Stars to end the feud! "They decided to throw a massive Mario Party to collect Stars and fill the great Star Bank! Determined to end Brighton and Twila's feud, they started partying right away. ...But will the power of the Stars be enough to end the furious feud? Brighton and Twila, the hosts of ''Mario Party 6, have watched over Mario Party World from the sky. Despite their close friendship, one day, Brighton asks Twila which of the duo is better. An argument then breaks out between him and Twila, and because it causes major disruption, Mario and friends attempt to calm them down. When they are unable to do so, Mario decides to throw a Mario Party to collect and harness the power of the Stars to fill the Star Bank.'' By collecting Stars, Mario and friends are able to obtain pages to the Miracle Book. After the Miracle Book is filled out, Brighton and Twila see the Star Bank, filled with Stars. Noting how hard Mario and friends had worked to obtain the Stars, Brighton, and Twila apologize to them for the hassle their quarrel had caused, and make up. To show their appreciation for the effort, the hosts send the Stars flying into the sky. The ending goes on to state that Brighton and Twila "watched over Mario Party world until the end of time," and that "everyone got back to partying as usual." The words "Party On!" then appear on the screen. Gameplay Mario Party 6, as with previous installments of the Mario Party series, plays as an interactive board game, where up to four players take turns rolling Dice Blocks with numbers 1-10, the number indicating how far they can travel. The goal of the game is to earn coins to buy the Stars, which are dependent on the board's rules. In the beginning of every game, players are introduced to the board, where they are asked to hear about the board and any unique quirks it may have. The game then determines the order the players go, by hitting Dice Blocks, where higher numbers mean players go sooner. At the beginning of every game, players receive 10 coins to start with. During board gameplay, players can obtain various items called Orbs, very alike to Mario Party 5's capsules, from either purchasing them from Orb Huts, passing Orb Spaces, or winning them by landing on ? Spaces to help themselves and/or hurt the other players. At the end of every turn, a mini-game is played, where the type of mini-game is determined by what color the space the players have landed on. All mini-games have their own controls and objectives, which are outlined prior to playing them. Winning players receive 10 coins from mini-games; however, certain types of mini-games such as bonus mini-games offer different prizes. After the mini-game is completed, the game is saved, and players return to the board to once again move around in. Various mini-games have special conditions to play in them: Battle mini-games occur at random, where number of coins are placed at stake where higher scoring players earn more coins; players also vote for minigames rather than have a roulette decide for them, Duel mini-games occur when players either land on Duel Spaces or land on the same space in the last five turns, and DK and Bowser mini-games can be played when players land on the characters' respective spaces. When the last five turns has reached, a Last Five Turns Event commences, hosted with either Brighton or Twila depending on the time of the day. The current standings are tallied up, and the host brings in the fourth place player to spin the bonus wheel, which has many various effects, some greatly helping the last player. Another consequence is that players automatically duel each other if they land in the same space. After the last turn, the stats are tallied up once more, and Brighton and Twila give out bonus stars which are rewarded when players complete certain tasks. The player who has the most Stars wins the game, with coins serving as a tiebreaker; if the coin amount is also a tie, the winner is determined by a Dice Block. After the results, players can view various stats of each player, such as how many times the player has landed on certain spaces and line graphs depicting coin and star amounts throughout the game. One new mechanic introduced to the Mario Party series is the time of the day. In multiplayer boards, the game always starts out at daylight, hosted by Brighton. Indicated by a meter by the beginning of every turn and by the pause menu, players can see how many turns the day time has left. After the third time, day changes to night, which also lasts three turns. During the change, the board alters to reflect the setting of the day, while also introducing various gameplay changes depending on the board, indicated by small cutscenes. In this time period, Twila becomes the host. When three turns pass, the night changes to day once again, and the cycle repeats. After every session of either winning games or playing mini-games, Stars are rewarded, which are stored in the Star Bank. These stars can be used to buy various items of interest. Players can complete the overall game when they buy the Miracle Book and all individual pages. Characters Mario Party 6 has eleven playable characters, all which are usable with no restrictions unlike its predecessor, Mario Party 5. Mario Party 6 is where Toadette (marked with an asterisk) makes her overall debut in the Mario Party franchise, though in order to use her, she has to be unlocked by buying her for thirty Stars in the Star Bank first. Character specific colors are still used (an example being used in the mini-game, Note To Self), but the standard player order colors (red, blue, green, and yellow for players one, two, three, and four respectively) are far more abundant in labeling players than the character specific colors. Playable *Mario *Luigi *Princess Peach *Yoshi *Wario *Princess Daisy *Waluigi *Toad *Boo *Koopa Kid *Toadette (unlockable) Game Modes *Solo Mode *Party Mode *Minigame Mode *Star Bank *Miracle Book *Microphone Mode *Options Boards Solo Boards *Thirsty Gulch *Astro Avenue *Infernal Tower Party Boards *Towering Treetop *Faire Square *E. Gadd's Garage *Snowflake Lake *Castaway Bay *Clockwork Castle Minigames *Smashdance *Odd Card Out *Freeze Flame *What Goes Up? *Granite Getaway *Circuit Maximus *Catch You Letter *Snow Whirled *Daft Rafts *Tricky Tires *Treasure Trawlers *Memory Lane *Mowtown *Cannonball Fun *Note to Shelf *Same is Lame *Lift Leapers *Blooper Scooper *Trap Ease Artist *Pokey Punchout *Money Belt *Sunday Drivers *Throw Me a Bone!!! *Cash Flow *Sink or Swim *Snow Brawl *Ball Dozers *Surge and Destroy *Pop Star *Stage Fight *Conveyor Belt *Crate and Peril *Ray of Fright *Dust'il Dawn *Verbal Assault *Shoot Yer Mouth Off *Talkie Walkie *Word Herd *Fruit Talktail *Garden Grab *Pixel Perfect *Slot Trot *Gondola Glide *Light Breeze *Body Builder *Moleit *Cashapult *Jump the Gun *Rocky Road *Clean Team *Burnstile *Hyper Sniper *Insectiride *Stamo by Me *Wrasslin' Rapids *Strawberry Shortfuse *Constrol Schtick *Light up my Night *Cog Jog *Black Hole Boogie *Full Tilt *Sumo of Doom-o *O-Zone *Pitifall *Mass Meteor *Lunar-Tics *T-Minus Five *Asteroad Rage *Boo'd off the Stage *Bonanza! *Trick or Tree *Something's Amist *Tally me Banana *Banana Shake *Pier Factor *Pit Boss *Dizzy Rotisserie *Dark 'n' Crispy *Seer Terror *Block Star *Lab Rats *Dunk Bros. This game has 82 minigames. Mini-game Music Duel Mini-game Music *'Duelling for Prizes:' Asteroad Rage, Black Hole Boogie, Lunar-tics, Mass Meteor, T Minus Five *'Night Duel:' Boo'd Off the Stage, Boonanza, Light Up My Night, Something's Amist, Trick or Tree *'Time to Duel:' Cog Jog, Full Tilt, O-Zone, Pitifall, Sumo of Doom-o Reception Critical reception Mario Party 6 received generally positive to mixed reviews from reviewers, receiving a 71 based on 33 reviews in Metacritic[http://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/mario-party-6 Mario Party 6 Metacritic score.] Metacritic. Retrieved August 22, 2016. and a 73.41% based on 36 reviews on GameRankings.[http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/920183-mario-party-6/index.html Mario Party 6 GameRankings score.] GameRankings. Retrieved August 22, 2016. Much criticism is directed at the sheer similarity the game has to the previous Mario Party games, the lackluster single player mode, and the microphone voice recognition functionality. However, reviewers note that the game is fun with multiple players and that Mario Party 6 attempts to shake up the formula by including the microphone and other small new features. Peer Schneider of IGN has given the game a 7 out of 10.Schneider, Peer (December 8, 2004). [http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/09/mario-party-6-review?page=1 Review of Mario Party 6.] IGN. Retrieved August 22, 2016. He notes how Mario Party 6 recycles many assets from the previous Mario Party games but has stated, "Mario Party 6 is a really fun multiplayer game when three friends are invited to the party." On a similar note, Ryan Davis of GameSpot has given the game a 6.9 out of 10,Davis, Ryan (December 6, 2004). [http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-6-review/1900-6114506/ Review of Mario Party 6.] GameSpot. Retrieved August 22, 2016., also noting that the game is very similar to the rest of the series, but has also said that Mario Party 6 is an accessible multiplayer game to anyone and have a good time. He ended with: "Whether you've worn out your last copy of Mario Party or are just looking for a light, accessible multiplayer experience, number six is a fine pick. Alternately, if you have yet to be charmed by previous Mario Party games, this one isn't likely to change your opinion of the series." On the slightly higher end, Chris Kohler of 1UP gave Mario Party 6 a 7.5 out of 10.Kohler, Chris (December 8, 2004). [http://www.1up.com/reviews/mario-party-6_5 Review of Mario Party 6.] 1UP. Retrieved August 22, 2016. who writes that Mario Party 6 is generally fun, despite the reused formula, and ends by saying that Mario Party 6 is a polished upgrade with solid improvements. At the other end, Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson gave the game a score of 4/10, the lowest of the reviewers for Mario Party 6.Gibson, Ellie (December 7, 2004). [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_marioparty6_gc Review of Mario Party 6]. Eurogamer. Retrieved August 22, 2016. She has complained about the game's dialogue, the mini-game titles, the microphone functionality, and the overall tedium of the game. She compared by saying, "All in all, if Mario Party 6 was a real party, it'd be one of those parties where there's nothing to drink but warm Heineken and no one to talk to but people who are having trouble with their boiler and students who've just spent three months in Thailand and want to tell you all about how they got dysentery in Chiang Mai, while a Savage Garden fan hangs round the stereo all night glaring at anyone who tries to suggest an alternative". Sales Mario Party 6, from November 18, 2004 to January 30, 2005 sold 483,362 copies in America and 469,014 in Japan, ranking 10th in that time period.Web archive of Biglobe. (February 11, 2005). Biglobe. Retrieved August 22, 2016. Pre-release and unused content Early builds The Solo Mode originally used simple colored spaces, as opposed to the 4-Player, 1-Vs-3, and 2-Vs-2 spaces seen in the final game. Unused data An unused Orb called the Barrel Orb with the Orb ID 20 would protect players from dueling for one turn. There are no unique orb graphics and no activation text for this item. Various orbs are used for events, possibly for debugging purposes, but are taken out of the game. References to other games *''Mario Bros.'' - Freezies appear in Snowflake Lake when night falls. *''Super Mario Bros.'' - An 8-bit Mario appears in Snowflake Lake. *''Super Mario World'' - ! Switches appear in the Orb Hut. *''Mario Party 2'' - Woody reappears in Towering Treetop. *''Paper Mario'' - Snow Bunny-like creatures and Whackas appear in Snowflake Lake. The Buzzy Beetle design in Slot Trot is designed after the Buzzy Beetle's portrayal in this game. Yellow Block-like blocks appear in Orb Huts. *''Mario Party 4'' - Animations have been reused from this game. *''Mario Party 5'' - Animations and certain sound effects have been reused from this game. References in later games *''Mario Party 7'' - Several covers of Mario Party 6 music tracks appear in this installment. The main menu music is a slower-paced cover of Castaway Bay's music, the Speak Up tune can be heard when players land on the Mic Space, and the duel theme, Donkey Kong theme and minigame winning theme are remixed versions of the ones in Mario Party 6. Several sound effects are reused as well. *''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' - Various artwork from this game have been reused as stickers. *''Mario Party DS'' - Block Star returns as one of the puzzle minigames. Parts of the minigame's tune can be heard in Mario Party DS's background music, "Think It Out", when playing any puzzle minigame. *''Mario Party 9'' - Several voice clips are recycled in this game. * Mario Party: The Top 100 - Nine minigames return in this game. A cover version of the minigame completion theme plays when completing any of the nine Mario Party 6 minigames. Brighton and Twila make a cameo in the Characters section of the Series Guide. *''Mario Tennis Aces'' - Mario's artwork from this game is reused on one of the large banners. Trivia *The game has a number of secrets on the main screen if you say certain things in the microphone. *This is the first Mario Party game where Deanna Mustard voices Princess Daisy. *This is the last Mario Party game where Koopa Kid appears as a playable character. *This is the first Mario Party game to feature new voice clips for the playable characters replacing the old voice clips from Mario Party 3 up to Mario Party 5. *This is the last Mario Party game to feature Thwomp's design from Super Mario 64. *This is one of the three Mario Party games since Mario Party 2 to not have a boss battle. The others are Mario Party Advance and Super Mario Party. References External links *[http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/gp6j/index.html Official Mario Party 6 Japanese website] *[https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-GameCube/Mario-Party-6-268302.html Official Mario Party 6 Nintendo UK site] DE:Mario Party 6 ES:Mario Party 6 Category:Mario games Category:Nintendo GameCube games Category:Mario Party games Category:2004 video games Category:2005 video games Category:Hudson Soft games Category:Nintendo games Category:Games published by Nintendo Category:Class D articles Category:Party games Category:Player's Choice games